Camp HalfBlood: 1910
by Journalist793
Summary: This is Camp Half-Blood, 100 years ago, back when it was home to some of those people that we look at as heroes today, and told from the Point of View of Amelia Earhart.
1. Chapter 1

Camp Half-Blood: 1910

I hugged my knees like a scared little child. Why was my mother sending me away? Maybe it was punishment for not being more ladylike the way that she asked me to be. I didn't want to go away.

The carriage went through a pothole, which cause me to fall over on my side. "Oi!" I shouted in surprise. This was 1910! We should at least have some civilized transportation like them fancy Aeroplanes that them twins invented. I must have been wonderful to be flying like that. I wish that ladies had more privileges, but the men always told us that we en't smart 'nough to understand all of the complex machinery and such, but still… I'd like to fly someday.

"Amelia," called my mother's voice. She sounded real sad, like she was never gonna see me again.

"Yes, mum?" I asked, emerging from the carriage.

"It's time for you to go," she said sadly.

"Aren't you gonna come with me?" I asked, my eyes wide in fear.

My mother shook her head sadly. "Amelia, I cannot. You have to go alone."

"No," I said stubbornly, "I won't go without you.

My mother shook her head. "Alright," she said, "just go to the top of the hill, I'll be right behind you."

I eagerly nodded and bounded to the top of the hill that lay ahead of me. I turned back to my mother, smiling, but she wasn't there. She was leaning out the window of the carriage. The horses were moving out of sight. "I love you!" called my mother.

"Mum!" I cried, watching the carriage disappear. I stepped back, trying to get a final glimpse at the carriage, and tripped over a root.

I tumbled down to the bottom of the hill and landed hard on my back. "_Diabolez!_" I cried, which scared me, because somehow I knew that it meant "damnation" in a foreign tongue.

"Now, now, young lady. We don't use words like that," said a voice behind me.

"Who are you?" I asked, getting my guard up. I stood to face a man in a wheel chair with thinning brown hair and a tweed jacket.

"I am Chiron. Who might you be," asked the man.

"Amelia," I said looking down. "Amelia Earhart."

"Well, Ms. Earhart, might you have any idea who your Olympian Parent is?"

I looked at the man, purely confused. "Olympian Parent?"

"Oh I see," said Chiron, "Your mother has not told you, then?"

"Told me what? What the hell do you mean, old man!?"

Chiron made a "Tsk, tsk," noise and said, "The Greeks, young lady. Have you not heard of the stories they used to tell?"

"What?" I demanded.

"Jason and the Argonauts? Perseus and the Gorgon? Anything?"

"Yeah," I said cautiously. "Why do you bring up such rubbish?"

"They are real, Amelia. Those gods that they spoke of, those stories they told, all of it is real."

"No!" I said, realizing what was happening. "My mother has sent me to a camp for crazies. I've been sentenced to the nut house. Why! I am not crazy, I don't belong here."

The man hung his head. "No, Amelia. This is Camp Half-Blood. You, my dear, are a Half-Blood. Are you following me?"

"I would like to talk to the leader of this estate!" I shouted. "Who is the Head Nut?"

"Maybe this shall convince you," said Chiron, rising from his seat. As he got up, the bottom half of him turned into a regal, elegant horse.

"The craziness is rubbing off on me!" I shouted, grieving. "I am seeing things, for sure. I must find some place that makes sense!" I turned and started running towards an ocean where I saw another kid. Maybe he could help. As I neared him, though, I stopped dead in my tracks. He was half an animal, too. "NO!" I cried, running towards the water. I looked into it, trying to calm myself, when I saw three fully dressed girls sitting at the bottom. "NO!" I shouted once more.

Chiron came up behind me, looking really worried. "Amelia, accept it. You are not seeing things, this is real!"

"Nay!" I said sternly. "I deny this reality and substitute it with my own!" With that being said, and me knowing that I was crazy, I turned and jumped in the water. If I would have to live a life as a crazy, I didn't want to live a life at all. I hit the water and inhaled it. The girls that had been sitting at the bottom of the tide started coming towards me, but I blacked out.

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**I will be writing more to this… It was really fun to write. Just so you know, I know that there is a lot of bad grammar here, but there's supposed to be. We're going to meet some famous people next. Next chapter should be up soon! Sorry that it was kind of short and fast-paced! Next chapter will be better, I promise!**


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke in a room that was scarily quiet. Perhaps it was all a bad dream… but no. I knew it couldn't have been, for I was soaking wet. I exhaled deeply and sat up. I wasn't alone.

Watching me was a boy. His eyes were gray and wise, and his hair was blonde, but he looked so overworked that it seemed to be turning gray, which was odd, because he couldn't have been more than twelve.

"Hello," he said in a friendly voice.

I bit my lip. "Who are you?" I asked. "Are you crazy like me?"

The boy laughed. "Crazy? For surely you are joking, Miss. My name is Albert. You're not crazy, you're a half-blood."

"But," I sat up, "I saw—"

"Satyrs and centaurs?" he asked, smiling.

I looked confused. "What is that in which you speak of, boy?"

He smiled at me sympathetically. "Animal-people?" he translated.

My mouth made an "O" shape. "Yes," I nodded, breathing deeply.

"You'll get used to that quickly," he said. "You can bet I didn't believe it at first."

"Oh?" I asked.

He nodded knowingly. It was so silent that you could've heard a pin drop.

"So…" I finally said, trying to ease the awkwardness. "Albert, your name is? Albert…" I left a space open for him to fill in.

"Einstein," he said. "But you may call me Al. I feel that Albert is much too formal."

I nodded. The silence swallowed us once gain until Al said, "Come, Perhaps you should see the rest of the camp. It's really quite vast without that many campers."

"Why aren't there many campers?" I asked, my blue eyes curious. "Is this camp expensive to get into?"

Al shook his head. "Nay," he said. "It's free to half-bloods."

I gawked at him. "And what does that mean, boy?"

Al looked amused. "Half-Blood as in half human."

I cocked a brow. "I am only half human. Then, if you don't mind to terribly of my asking, what if the other half of me?"

"God," said Al, anticipating my reaction.

I stumbled over a floorboard. "For surely you are joking."

Al laughed. "It's true. You are the daughter of a powerful being that controls the forces of the universe."

I gave a heart laugh. "You are quite the one to set the mood, Al. Your sense of humor is greatly admired to ease how uncomfortable this first day is for me."

Al shook his head. "You will learn all in good time," he told me, and we left it at that.

We reached the outside world, brightly lit by the sun. Sitting outside of a jejune looking cabin was a girl with long blonde hair that cascaded down her shoulders. The features on her face looked elfish mischievous.

The girl looked angry. Her arms were crossed and resting on her knees, her face pinched as if she smelled something unpleasant, and her eyebrows were arched one fourth of a reveloution.

"That's Aggie," said Al. "She was shipped here from England. Just got here yesterday."

I inhaled through my nose. "Then perhaps I'm in good company," I said.

Al walked over to Aggie. "Good afternoon, Aggie,"

Aggie looked at Al distastefully. "That's Agatha to you," she scolded. She thought for a moment. "Or better yet, just call me Madam Christie. Last names are much more formal." As she talked, I noticed her British accent.

"Oh, come on, Aggie," he teased childishly. "You can have some fun here. It's okay not to be ladylike. This is camp."

Aggie stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Boy," she addressed him, "You don't know what it's liked to have to leave your country. You have no idea what it's like to have you mother insist that you go to America so that you can attend a camp!"

For the first time since I'd seen him, Al looked upset. "Yes," he said sternly. "I do know what it's like. I come from Germany. And I miss it terribly. So please, don't act like your problems are the only ones on campgrounds. Amelia here just tried to drown herself, and all you can think about is pitiful thoughts for yourself."

Aggie seemed to loosen up a little. She huffed and went into the cabin behind her.

I went to Al. "Al?" I asked softly.

Al turned to me, looking troubled at first, but then putting on a convincingly cheerful face. "Well, come on then," he said, seeming to shake away the hurt. "There are more people to meet."

He led me by the arm into the forest, telling me to watch my back. "Babe should be in here somewhere," he said, looking around.

"Babe?" I asked, cocking my head to the side at the unfamiliar name.

"Babe Ruth," said Al, peering cautiously over his shoulder. "We call him Babe, because that was how he first introduced himself. His real name is George, though He's a son of Apollo. He's always hunting, and he's good at it, too. Great shot with a bow and arrow."

"His father's name is Apollo?" I asked, thinking to myself that it was a handsome name.

"Yes," said Al. "Apollo, god of the sun, arithmetic, music…"

"Again with the humor," I said, a little uncomfortably.

He looked like he might argue, but was interrupted by an apple flying uncomfortably near his ear. "That's Babe," he said, running in the direction from which it came.

I followed after him, having to lift the hem of my dress so that I would not lose my footing. "Al!" I called after him. Another apple came out of a clearing, flying o're my head at tremendous speed.

I found Al crouching behind a bush, watching something in secret. Dropping to my knees beside him, I could see what he was looking at: a boy, possibly 15 years old or so. He held a large walking stick—or was it a club—and was batting them off into the deep darkness of the forest. He tossed them up above his head, and then quickly swung, just in time to make perfect contact.

I caught my breath. "He's great," I said.

Al nodded, and then emerged from the bushes. "Babe," he said.

The boy look startled, but relaxed immediately. "Al," he said happily. "I didn't see you there."

"I could say the same to you," said Al. They talked for a long time about things that didn't interest me in the least.

In the distance, a conch horn sounded. The boys didn't hear. "What does that mean, Al?" I asked, coming behind him.

He didn't seem to hear me. He kept on talking about baseball records with Babe.

"Al?" I asked a bit louder. He still didn't notice. "Al?" I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder. He stood up straight as if shocked. His hair stood on end, and I smelled something burning.

He turned to me. "What was that?" he asked, amazed.

"Huh?" I asked.

He looked at me, and gave a quiver. "Come," he said, and broke into a sprint towards the pavilion. Babe followed him close behind. I tried to run, but tripped over the hem of my dress in my haste.

I lifted my head out of the mud, wiping back my frenzied hair. "First thing to do when I get back," I said to no one in particular. "Get a pair of overalls."

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**Whew! I actually updated! Hope you liked it. I'll try to be faster this time in updating. Umm, that's it, so… yeah… Please review, the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update.**


	3. Chapter 3

Carefully, I walked the way Al had, calling his name very now and then. "So rude of that boy," I told myself, walking down a path. "He can't just leave me alone in the forest."

For the third time, my dress caught on the root of a tree and I tripped. "Oi!" I shouted, flailing my arms as I plummeted to the mud. "Curse you, gravity. I swear, falling will one day be my end."

"Don't be so sure about that," grumbled a voice from behind me. My hair stood on end, and I felt a wave of fear pass over my body. "Who might that be," I said, not turning around.

"Your maker," said a voice, and I felt my leg being cut open.

I screamed, stumbling to my feet. Behind me was a 9-foot-tall man with a pointed stick. He wasn't human though, it was… a beast I had never seen.

The monster reached out to scratch my face.

I ducked, his hand swooping over me.

"Don't try to run, little half-blood. It will all be over soon."

I stood up straight, looking at the beast with such a hard gaze that even he froze. I kicked him in the shin. "I have been toyed with all day," I said, throwing an angry punch. "People have been referring to me as that word over and over again. Half-blood, half-blood, half-blood!" With each time I said it, I got angrier, and my punches got stronger. By the third stroke, I heard the ribs beneath the flesh caving in.

The beast held his side with a look of utter disbelief. Now he only had one hand to fight with, for his other was holding his internal organs in position. He tried to over whelm me with a blow from his oversized palm, but I grabbed it.

With energy surging through my body, and the exact same anger that I had had towards Al when he was ignoring me, I let energy pass through my body, to my hands, and into the beasts.

Now the beast made let go of his side and clawed at my hands, trying to pry them off of his, but before he could do anything, he seemed to go into a spasm, his body writhing left, right, forwards, and backwards.

"Stop!" he screamed, but I could not. The energy was too overwhelming. "STOOOOP!" It shrieked. Then, it exploded into a stream of confetti of yellow powder.

Silence. No noise followed, as if everything were holding its breath, hoping I didn't attack it next. Then a twig snapped behind me. Turning, I saw Al, looking bewildered far past imaginable. "Amelia…" he sputtered. "How did you…?"

I stomped my foot angrily. "Al!" I said, furious. "You left me here alone in this forest. That thing could've killed me!"

"Amelia, I…" Al was at a loss for words.

I ran towards him thinking I was gonna strangle him. Then I did something that surprised even me… I threw my arms around him. "But you came back," I said, my voice shaking. Hot tears were streaming down my face.

Before Al could gain enough awareness of what was going on, I let go of him. He stared at me intently. "You don't leave a girl in the middle of a forest," I said, raising my arm. With a quick movement, I had slapped that boy across the face and he was on the ground. "Remember that next time."

Al didn't say anything. He only raised his hand to his cheek where I had boxed him, and where a red mark the shape of my hand was forming.

I lifted the hem of my dress and began to run down the path. Now that the sun had begun to set, lights had been turned on in the distance and I could make out which way to go.

Stumbling, I came out of the brush, picking pine needles out of my hair. I heard feet stumbling, a few dozen meters behind me, so I kept running until I came to a grassy spot with tables. Chiron was sitting there, along with Babe, Aggie, and some other kids that I didn't know.

Chiron smiled, not noticing my wild expression in the light from the torches set on posts all around the area. "Amelia," he said, smiling. "Take a seat, please. Over there, next to Aggie and Walter." He pointed to a table off in the right corner where Aggie was sitting next to a young boy who was toying with his silverware.

Aggie looked like she was in a better mode. She nodded at me as I sat down. "Day gotten any better?" she asked.

"I see it has for you," I said, settling in.

"Well," she said, brushing back her blonde hair, "I figured that coming to this new country, attending this new camp, maybe it would be an adventure. Life's no good without a little mystery."

I nodded, letting those words sink in. A young girl with curiously pointed ears and green eyes set a pitcher of water on our table, handing all three of us cups. Aggie poured herself a glass and handed the pitcher to me, but I just set it down, not quite hungry.

There was a tug on my sleeve. I looked next to me, seeing the young boy holding his cup. "Please, ma'am. Pass the picture."

"Picture," I laughed. I found his poor diction amusing. I picked up the water pitcher, and was about to and it to him when I noticed it was awfully big for his little hands. "Would you like me to pour it for you?"

The little boy smiled big and nodded, so I poured his cup halfway full. "Tank you, ma'am," he said, unable to pronounce his words correctly.

"Call me Amelia," I said, setting the pitcher down. "What's your name?"

"Watter Didney," he said, his speech limited once again.

Aggie smiled. "Walter Disney," she corrected him.

"Oh," I said. I looked at him thoughtfully. He really was young, maybe eight or nine. "Walter is an awful big name for a little boy like you. Would you mind to terribly if I called you Walt?"

The boy looked thought. "Wat?" he said, thinking. "Oh, I like that. Wat Didney."

I smiled, looking around. That was my big mistake. I noticed that Al had come back, and was sitting at a table with another little blonde boy who was even younger than Walt. "Why are there so many young kids here? Don't they need their mothers?"

"Well," said Aggie, following my gaze to the table where Al was sitting. "Al and Theo don't have mothers, from what they've told me."

"That must be terrible," I said, feeling a little sorry for Al. "Is Theo the younger boy?"

Aggie nodded. "That's Theodore Seuss Geisel. Only six years old. Been here for a year apparently."

Next to me, Walt nodded. "He got here last year. We call him Seuss, sometimes. He prefers to be called "Doctor Seuss," tow. He likes having names wit atority." I was a little bothered by how he could pronounce "th", me wanting to understand everything.

Chiron called attention to the group, him standing up front. "Let us thank the gods for this fabulous meal!" he said. "Huzzah!"

Aggie and I rolled our eyes. "It's really annoying how they're trying to tell us that these gods are real," she said.

I nodded fiercely. Walt, next to me lifted his glass. "Huzzah," he croaked, struggling with the glass. He looked at us after setting it down. "You'll understand soon enough," he said. "Tere's a horse man standing in front of us, anyway. How could you still doubt tee odds?"

I smiled at Walt, and looked around the camp. "Where do I sleep tonight?"

"I guess in the same cabin we're in," said Aggie, pointing between her and Walt.

"What do you do for fun around camp, anyway?" I asked, taking an appetizer as a girl with a platter passed.

Aggie smiled playfully. "I'm gonna figure that out tomorrow. Care to help?"

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**Huzzah! I updated! (Wow, this story is getting to me) Hoped you liked, I had fun writing it. Please review, because reviews make me happy, and happy me equals more updated stories.**


	4. Chapter 4

I felt strange following Walt back to the cabin, but he was the only one who seemed to know the way by heart. He held the candle and led the way, while Aggie and I slunk back behind him.

After a few moments of silence, I asked, "So is camp really this deserted? All those kids back at the pavilion; is that all?"

Aggie pursed her lips for a moment before replying. "No," she said. "There's a few more."

"Like who?" I asked.

"Umm… there's Addey," she said, pronouncing it like "Add-day."

"Who?"

"Addey, he came here a few years back; or so that's what I've been told. He's—" but she stopped suddenly and stood straight as a board, and a boy stepped out from behind her. His hair was as black as midnight, and he had bags under his eyes as if he had suffered from countless nights with out sleep. Curled in his fingers was a pocketknife dripping with fresh blood.

Aggie whimpered slightly and rubbed the back of her neck where a slash had appeared, soiling her hands with blood.

"I don't like people talking behind my back," said the boy, whose eyes flashed dangerously between Aggie and me.

When neither of us said anything, the dark eyes regarded the two of us carefully. "Looks like we got a new shipment of girls today. Lucky me. Has anyone told you yet what happened to the last ones?

Walt came forward with the candle, looking ten years older in the pale light that merely licked its surroundings. "Calm town, Addey. Dere's no need to fight tewnight."

The dark boy scowled down at Walt, which made the eight-year-old quiver and shrink back against me. "I will _not_ be referred to as that pathetic nickname you have pegged me with. You will refer to me as 'General Hitler' from now on, unless you want that candle to be shoved up your nose."

Instinctively, I put my arms around Walt to shield him from whatever danger this boy threatened. Walt's eyes were as round as the moon and his face was pale. This boy frightened him, perhaps he had even hurt him before. If he had, it was not going to happen again. Not if I could help it.

The boy chuckled. "Lookie here, little Disney's gotten himself a nanny." He held the pocketknife tip at my chest, which, quite frankly, was creepy on a lot of levels. "What do they call you, girl?"

My jaw tightened and I stepped back, pulling Walt behind me like a mother protecting her child. "Amelia Earhart. Who are you?"

The boy's mouth twitched. "Earhart? What kind of name is that? Well, Earhart, why don't you go knit me a sweater? You don't want to get mixed up in this guy sport."

"Are you hard of hearing, or are you just thick?" I demanded. "What. Is. Your. Name?"

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Sassy, are we? Show some respect for men, girl, it's what we deserve. We _are _better than you. Well, nevertheless, I suppose you do have a right to know who I am so that you can brag to the ladies when you're older that you knew me. I'm Adolf Hitler, and I'll remind you in case you forget. It must be dreadful to have that tiny female mind of yours."

Aggie stepped forward and raised her hand as if she might slap the boy, but he was quicker. Adolf (or Addey, as I now prefer calling him just to dance on his nerves) caught her arm mid-swing and pushed her back. I caught her.

"You three had best run off," growled Addey. "It would be unfortunate for something to happen to you two girls in the dark." My heart raced a little faster, and Aggie and I held each other tight.

Suddenly, Addey was on the ground, wild-eyed and confused. In his place was Al. He held no weapon, just a fierce look. "It's not them you should be worried for, Adolf."

"It seems that I've angered the egghead, whatever shall I do?" Addey put his hand on his forehead dramatically.

"Leave these girls in peace," ordered Al, "or you'll have to answer to me."

"What are you getting it?" spat Addey, standing back up to look Al in the eyes. I took another step back, dragging Aggie with me.

"Do you really want me to defeat you in combat again?" he continued. "You know firsthand that I can beat you, and if your scars aren't a reminder enough, I'll gladly give you something to make sure you never forget."

"That's some pretty tough talk considering who _you're_ Olympian parent is…" Al smiled triumphantly as if he had just solved the riddle of the Sphinx.

He didn't smile for long, though, because Addey had lightning fast reactions. He jumped up and at once had his knife at Al's throat, the other hand holding the back of his head. "Say one more word, egghead. One more and you won't live to see another sunrise."

Al pursed his lips, but didn't say anything. After a few scary moments, Addey sheathed his knife back into hid pocket and began to slink back into the shadows. Then Al did the stupidest thing I had ever seen a person do. He scoffed, "Aphrodite."

Addey turned to him, his eyes burning with an angry fire. He ran back towards Al, fists flying wild, and flung his entire body, tackling Al and pinning him to the ground.

Al kicked Addey off of him, sending him rolling into a bush. Then Al reached towards his belt and produced a bronze knife that shined in the candlelight that Walt's candle let off. Addey took out a knife as well, but his was long and twisted with a touch of rust.

Al hesitated, but did not want to back down for some reason. _Boys_, I thought indignantly. _They don't know when to stop._

For a second, I thought he was really about to battle, and I was trembling up against Aggie, who was white as a sheet. Then Al did something amazingly heroic; he backed down.

Al muttered something that I didn't catch, and then sheathed his knife. "We have enough enemies as it is," said Al patiently. "We shouldn't be fighting."

I sighed in relief, hoping that this meant that everything was all right. But I was wrong.

"Weakling!" accused Addey. "Be a man and fight!" When Al said nothing in reply, Addey spat at the ground. "You don't get it, do you? Word's can't be taken back. Once you get yourself into a fight, you can't back down." He charged at Al.

Al stepped away and held out his foot, meaning to trip Addey, but Addey saw it coming. He reached out his arm and grabbed Al, pulling him down to the ground and jumping on top of him, leveling the knife.

"Stop it!" I shouted. "Stop it now!"

"Shut up, girlie. This is a man's sport. I told you that you don't want to get caught up in this!"

I didn't think about what I did next; I just went on with it. First I needed a running start, so I took off on swift heels and jumped for all I was worth, ramming right into Addey and sending both of us flying, tumbling down the path.

I didn't see what happened next. All I knew was that I had gotten into the middle of the wrong fight. I was biting and scratching, doing anything I could to get Addey off of me, but he only flattened himself out on top of me in a _really_ uncomfortable way and set the knife under my chin.

"Einstein," he chirped. "Would you look at this? I have your little girlfriend! What are you going to do about it?"

I stayed still as a rag doll, trying to devise a strategy, but my mind was rushing too fast to keep up with. The only real sentence I could form in my mind was _I'm going to die._

Al coughed, and breathed heavily. "Let her go," he said. "She hasn't done anything to you."

"Yes," said Addey rather merrily. "But you have, and you must be taught a lesson. That's what a mother would say, do you not agree? So I suppose I'll give you a few moments to say goodbye." He smiled maliciously, arching the knife until the point in which it was directly above my windpipe.

The person who saved my small, fragile life wasn't Al, who I had expected to do something heroic. It wasn't Aggie, who looked ready to rip someone's throat out. It was one person that I had had a brief conversation with and given a nickname to.

There was a clatter just down the path, and a scream that raised above all the chirps of the crickets and light murmur of conversation among beasts that lurked the woods. "CHIRON!"

Walt was screaming, in tears, and I was never so happy to hear an eight-year-old cry.

Addey snapped his head to the side and loosened his grip on the knife. I saw my opportunity in that split second.

Like lightning, I raised my hand and slapped the knife away, hearing it skid down the path. Then I shot my knee up at Addey like a spike, right into the spot that a knee should never go.

Addey gasped and rolled over instinctively. I scrambled to my feet and ran to where Aggie was, and we didn't need any more encouragement. We took off down the path toward the few cabins in front of us.

Walt was on the other side of me, and Al was behind us, breathing heavily as he stumbled on a twig. "Tis way!" said Walt, pointing to the old looking cabin that I had seen Aggie sitting at earlier today. It had an 11 painted on top of it, and although it was just a cabin, no building had ever looked so inviting.

Aggie threw open the door, and the four of us piled in, Al closing it behind him. For a few seconds, we were silent, just staring at each other, reflecting on what had just happened. Then, as if we had rehearsed it, we all sighed, and Al slid to the floor.

I went to him and kneeled so that I was eye level with him. "You're a real idiot," I said to him. "You almost got yourself killed out there."

Al didn't seem to hear me. He was too busy apologizing. "I'm sorry, Amelia," he stuttered. "I didn't mean for that to happen to you, honest!"

"Al! I'm alright!" I said.

"You're sure?" he asked, sitting up on his knees.

I put my hands on my hips. "Al, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Don't you give me none of this weak little girl stuff, because I am just as strong as you."

Al winced, as if afraid I might slap him again, but I did something else. For the second time that day, I threw myself into him and hugged him for all we were worth.

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Awww! Isn't that the cutest thing since page 203? Yeah, I didn't think so either, but whatever. I am so sorry for the wait; I kept trying to write this chapter, but every time I tried to start writing it, I found myself typing something else. So… here it is, finally completed. Thanks to everyone who hasn't given up on this story yet! I will try to update faster this time (if you have any ideas I'd love to hear them!)

**Alright, thanks everyone! You're all the bestest in the world and you all get taffy apples for sticking with this story! Thanks for being so awesome! ; )**


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, peoples, sorry about the wait. I've been meaning to get around to writing this chappie, but I didn't have the attention span. Now I am forcing myself to have it! :D Anyway, the two new characters in this chapter, Cliff and Marie, are real people who were alive at this time. They were my great grandparents, and I decided this story needed some more characters, so here they are! On with the story!

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I didn't sleep very deeply or long that night. I was too shaken about what had happened. I was worried for Al, who had ventured out in the dead of the night. I found myself praying he got back to his cabin okay.

Aggie didn't even try to sleep. She paced around the cabin restlessly, drumming her fingers on a table of books each time she sat down, and the pulling out a pencil and writing some notes.

Walt seemed nearly paralyzed. All night long, he lay in his bed and stared at the ceiling, as if reliving some horrible memory over and over again. I asked him if he was alright once, and he turned to me and gave me a look of frightened innocence, and right there, I could tell that something had happened to Walt that I would not easily get him to confess.

When the morning broke through, I felt like I had only fallen asleep to minutes ago. Aggie was asleep at the table with the pencil still in her hand, and Walt had curled up under his blanket. The cabin was silent.

I slipped out of the bed and stared down at what I was wearing. I hadn't realized that I was still in my repulsive dress, which was now torn and stained with both dirt and blood. I looked terrible.

As my feet bare feet made there way across the room, I clumsily stumbled on a floorboard and fell with a thud. Aggie sat bolt upright in the chair, and Walt began to stir. "Amelia?" whispered Aggie, blinking a few times. "Was that you?"

"Who else would it be?" I asked, picking myself up and looking back at Aggie. She seemed flustered.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I just feel a little… paranoid. That's all."

"Don't blame you," I answered, sitting in a chair across from her. "At least I was spared the fear of having to watch it. I should consider myself lucky."

Aggie seemed angry by what I had said. "No, Amelia. Don't say that. You wouldn't have gotten into that mess if not for Al picking the wrong fight. Addey is not one to be taken lightly. He risked your life."

"He didn't mean for any of that to happen," I said, looking down. "He was only trying to protect us."

"Well, he went too far," said Aggie, standing up. She wobbled the first few steps, and then fell into the rhythm of walking. "Addey was fully ready to kill you, and all Al could do was ask him not to. Do you realize that?"

I stared down glumly, not watching Aggie as she walked out of my peripheral vision. There was the creak of a door somewhere behind me. "Amelia," Aggie snapped.

I looked up at her to see he standing in front of an open closet. "What color do you want?" she asked.

"Huh?" I asked, not quite understanding what she was asking.

"There are blue, yellow, and orange dresses. What's your preference?"

"Oh," I said glumly, standing up and walking to look into the closet. She had a sky blue dress in her hands with the words "Camp Half-Blood" embroider into the back of the skirt.

I studied the words for a while, and Aggie turned it over in her hands. She furrowed her brow, seeming to be disapproving of the words. "I should get Marie to cover that up."

"Marie?" I asked. "Who's that?"

"You'll meet her today," said Aggie, not taking her eyes from the words. She looked over at Walt's bunk, where Walt was looking back at her. "Walt?"

"I know t'e drill," said Walt with a little giggle. "You're not t'e fiwst giwls to sday on dis cabin." He pulled the blanket over his face and turned towards the walls.

Aggie shook her head. "If only all boys were as well behaved as him," she sighed before walking towards the back of the room and ducking behind some beds.

I looked back into the closet and stared at the dresses. The orange one was not appealing at all; as bright and plain as a pumpkin. The yellow one had a lacey trim around the hem, which I wasn't too excited about either. The blue one was bright and cheery, but still not the first thing I would choose.

I reached my hand out and plunged it into the back to see if I could find a pleasant pine green or, if I was lucky, purple or black. I stopped when I felt denim touch to my fingers, and I pulled it out. In my hands was a pair of overalls. I looked at them curiously for a few moments, and then a smile crept to my lips.

"You look ridiculous," fumed Aggie as we walked down to the dining pavilion. She kept fussing with the straps of my overalls and Orange T-shirt beneath it, as if hoping she could make them look better, but nothing seemed to satisfy her.

I sighed and swatted away her hands as best I could, as we came out of the trees and into the open. Aggie stopped and looked out at something, and I followed her gaze to a table that had flowers growing in each of the cracks in the wood. One girl sat there, staring down at her plate and seeming to be deep in thought.

"That's Marie," whispered Aggie for my benefit. "She's been here for three months."

I nodded, because I couldn't find much to say. _Three months_, I pondered. _She's been here for three months. How long will I be here? A week? A month? The rest of my life, maybe? Will I ever see mother again?_ I scanned the rest of the area, seeing it a little more crowded than before.

There was another boy that I hadn't seen before sitting next to Babe at a table painted gold. He had similar looks to Babe, blond hair and perfectly tanned skin with a golden glow to them and a shine in the sunlight, as if it were them producing the light and sun merely reflected it. At the same time, his face was more serious and his eyes were a darker color of blue. He and Babe were quiet, sitting together side by side. I was mesmerized for a moment before looking away.

That was when I unintentionally caught the gaze of another boy with a slight piggish roundness to him. He puffed out his cheeks and smiled, trying to slick back his hair and look cool, I suppose, but that was all ruined when I saw that there were bits of meat stuck in between each tooth. _Eew_.

Aggie came to my mental rescue once more by grabbing my hand and pulling me towards Marie. "Come on," she said brightly. "Might as well meet everyone there is to meet. Marie's a good ally if you're ever in a pinch."

"You treat life as if it's a war," I said quietly, stumbling for a moment. Addey turned his head and looked at me sharply. I shrunk back a little and focused on following Aggie's zany pace.

Marie greeted us warmly with a smile. "Hello, Aggie. Who's your friend?"

"Amelia," said Aggie, sitting across from Marie. "She's new here, but already seems to have caught quite a buzz." She smiled, and tried to keep her voice low, as if sharing a secret. "She seems to have caught Al's eye pretty smoothly."

I yelped, and then blushed. "No! He was just… showing me around, that's all."

"Mmhmm," said Aggie, rolling her eyes.

Marie knit her brows. "Al? Eew, that's disgusting."

"No, no, the other Al. The blond one," said Aggie quickly.

"Oh," said Marie nodding. "I thought you were talking about Gangster back there.

"Gangster?" I asked, sitting next to Aggie, who scooted down to give me room. "Who's that?"

"Capone," said Marie, sipping at her glass of juice. "Got here a few weeks after I did. I have no idea who he thinks he is, but he's already robbed the camp store twice." She jutted her thumb back towards the piggish boy. "Don't know how he does it! He's only eleven."

I nodded thoughtfully. "This camp is supposed to keep us 'safe' eh?" I asked. Marie and Aggie nodded. I shook my head and said, "How safe can we be here? There are psychopaths, gangsters, a monsters."

"Oh my," said Marie.

Chiron cleared his throat and drummed his fingers impatiently, his gaze fixed on Aggie and I. Aggie looked away meekly and said, "I think we've overstayed our welcome. Come on, let's go get back to Walt."

As we began to walk back to our table, Chiron and a man with purple eyes began to murmur quietly. They seemed to be arguing about something. Finally, the small, pudgy man whom I hadn't seen before sighed and gave Chiron and "Okay," signal. Chiron smiled and stood.

"It seems that this afternoon is going to be a nice one," he said, pausing as if expecting everyone to laugh. Everyone just looked back at him with blank expressions. This didn't seem to phase him, for he continued just as cheerily.

"Mr. D has given us special permission to have a game of capture the flag this afternoon! We'll make teams after breakfast so that you all may break away and devise your strategies. Is that alright by everyone?"

No one protested, so Chiron seemed to accept this. He went back to the table and settled down next to the pudgy man who, apparently, was Mr. D.

It was about an hour later when Chiron was smiling pleasantly with a bow over his shoulder and a quiver of arrows. "Alright, then," said Chiron with a smile, like we were the most impressive army in the country. "Who will be the team captains?"

Addey shot his scarred, bony fist into the air and waved it. He was the only one who seemed interested at all in leading; or perhaps he had just _persuaded_ everyone to allow him to corner Chiron into picking him as captain.

Chiron looked disappointed. "No one else? Very well, Addey, you will be red team captain. Blue team captain will be… Amelia."

I stepped back, shocked. "Oh, no, really, I—"

"No, no, Amelia. Just be captain, now. Really, it won't hurt you."

_Oh yeah?_ I thought, pouting. _How could you be so ignorant? You're not about to tell me that you have no idea of what happened last night. Really?_

Reluctantly, I trudged up to the front. Chiron patted me on the shoulder like he was proud of me or something. My stomach just churned nervously as Addey smiled at me, and I could see the gears turning behind his evil eyes.

Addey picked first, his twisted smile brightening as he said, "Gangster, I choose you."

Capone ran forward eagerly, and for a moment it looked like he might eat Addey whole, but instead the two boys hi-fived.

I got to pick two people because I was second, which was fine by me. Within a few moments, Al and Aggie were by my side, and we looked about ready to kick some butt.

The final score came out like this: The read team had Addey, Capone, the blond boy the Addey had called Cliff (who didn't look too happy to be there), Theo, who was also pouting and looking at Al pleadingly for help, and Babe. My team came out as Me, Al, Aggie, Marie, and Walt. The odds were against us, but I didn't care. As long as I was with Al and Aggie, two of the fastest friends I had ever made, I trusted that I'd be alright.

I promised myself that I'd always be there if they needed me, and I knew they'd do the same. The thing that never crossed my mind was that I might be wrong. That, perhaps, friends were an easy thing to lose. Just about as easily lost as life.


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as Chiron turned away, Al took my burden of being captain and proceeded to handing out positions. "We need to remember that it's better to have a strong defense than a savage offense," he said, leaning back against a tree with a casual smile. I sat Indian style between Aggie and Marie, with Walt leaning against me in a small nod towards his trust to me.

"Aggie and Marie," continued Al, taking a stick and drawing out a plan of action in the soil beneath. "… You two take guarding the flag. We can plant it on Zeus's fist. Seeing how Capone runs, you two should be able to tackle him before he can get to close."

Aggie wrinkled her nose. "I'd rather shoot him from a distance. He's got a nasty right hook and even worse breath."

Al chuckled. "Whatever you see fitting, then. Walt and I will go for offense. Walt, can you distract them while I take them from behind?"

Walt nodded. "I tink so, alt'ough I wouldn't put it past dem to beat me good and hard…"

"If you need my help, just call for me," he reassured. "Everyone's well being is much more important than a silly game such as this."

Walt nodded. "Tank you."

With that, Al turned to me with a gleam in his eyes, and he gave a friendly smile. "Amelia, that leaves you as border patrol. Can you take down anyone who tries to get across the stream?"

I rolled my eyes. "Al, you know what I can do. I'll be fine. You just try not to get yourself killed this time."

Al nodded. "Yes ma'am."

I threw a handful of dirt in his face, which he accepted with dignity. Perhaps I might've said something more, or laughed, or anything just to make it seem lighthearted, but Chiron cut in, looking at the two of us with a sparkle in his eye, as if this were cute to him. "Are you ready," he asked, holding up his bow.

"Aye," I said, nodding and standing, stepping back into a shoulder-to-shoulder alignment with Al and Aggie. "Let's play."

It didn't take any longer than a half hour for me to get bored out of my mind. Obviously Addey was holding out his position for a while, waiting for us to get our guard down, for no one had yet come across the stream.

I looked down into the water, no longer in the battle position that I had taken up when the game started, but instead sitting beside in the marshy grass and looking at the clouds. A fish passed by, heading upstream towards something or another. I looked around for an enemy once more, and was about to return to doing absolutely nothing when I voice came from behind me.

"I don't recognize your face," it said plainly, and I spun round quick with a surprised squeak. "What's your name?"

I looked around for a moment, trying to figure who the mysterious girl was, but saw no one.

"Hello, up here," it called.

Carefully following these orders, I found myself looking at two more unfamiliar campers: A tall girl with short blonde hair hanging upside down in the tree next to a skinny African American boy with a friendly smile.

"Oh… Hello…" I said rather meekly, finding it rather odd that they were so casually hanging like bats from the branch. "Who are you?"

"I asked first," said the tall blond one.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Amelia. Just got here, err, yesterday."

"I'm Ellie Roosevelt," she said plainly, letting go of a branch to wave briefly. "And this is my friend—"

"Louie," said the dark boy, filling in for her. "Louie Armstrong. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Amelia."

"You two weren't at breakfast this morning…" I said, recalling the stunning lack of campers that we had earlier today. "Have you been in that tree all day?"

"Oh, no, we just decided to do this to get out of Capture the Flag. Dreadful game, really, where young warriors are set on each other to squabble over a flag like children." She shook her head.

Louie nodded in agreement. "We were on kitchen patrol this morning; scrubbing the dishes and all that jazz."

I smiled, finding this term funny, and looked back up to say something else. I never got to that, though, because, in a split second, both of their faces had gone from casually friendly to surprised and a bit fearful, with their eyes fixed on something behind me.

"I say, Louie," said a voice from where they were staring. I felt a chill go down my spine as I easily recognized the bloke just by the aura in the air. "With hands a color of that sort, how could you tell if those dishes were clean?"

I spun round to face a smiling Addey, and realized with horror that I had let my guard down. He glared at me the way that a spider might gaze upon a trapped fly: hungrily, greedily, and mercilessly. I knew that there was no way I'd get out of this.

Ellie was upright now, standing in the crook of her tree with a serious look painted cross her face, and Louie straight behind her leaning in against a dipping branch. Neither of them seemed welcoming of our newly arrived visitor.

"Addey," I said, as if greeting an old friend. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Someone's daft," he scoffed, pursing his lips as his dark eyes swept from me, to Ellie, to Louie, and then back to me. "But I suppose I can't expect much better from creatures like yourselves."

"Don't be a bastard," I ordered, angry at his nerve. I wished more than anything to slap that smug, confident look off his face. I wanted to pose a threat to him, not an annoyance.

His eyes glared harshly as he whispered, "Let's govern our tongues, now. We wouldn't want to say something we'll… regret."

"What are you playing at, you dirty swine?"

With each insult, Addey grew tenser and angrier, as if he were a spring on a drum; if I kept on winding it tighter, that coils would eventually snap, which, at the time, seemed amusing. Stupid, but amusing.

"Step aside, girly," he muttered through clenched teeth, "or else your panties won't be the only thing soiled with blood."

That twisted me a little tighter, too. With color collecting in my cheeks, I snarled, "Why don't you make me, little boy?"

His fingers curled tight around the hilt of his knife, and every vein in his body seemed to pulse with a red-hot acid of hatred. For a moment, he seemed like he was about to fight, but then he calmed. His lips routed itself into an evil smile as he whispered, "Yes. I will."

His hand uncurled from the dagger and, in a quick movement, his fingers snapped, letting off a loud, echoey, hollow sound. The bushes behind him rustled, and out stepped Capone. I might've said something demeaning about this—maybe even laughed. But that became impossible as another figure came tumbling out of the bushes. A much smaller, unconscious figure. With wide eyes, I saw Walt sprawled on the ground, bound at the hands and legs with a nasty gash above his left eye.

All strength left my limbs, and I chewed on my lips, unsure of what to do. "Addey, you… you wouldn't. This is between us, don't bring him into this."

Addey laughed as if this were cute, and Capone gave me a smug smile, keeping Walt upright with one fist wrapped round his arm and the other one clenching at his hair.

"As I'm sure you'll soon find…" said Addey, smiling, now seeing that I was caught, "in a war, you'll slit as many throats as you need to in order to get to the top."

My eyes were wide as I blinked back tears."This isn't right. Give him to me; the flag's up that way. Just let him go!"

The boy sighed and turned to Capone. "Such a dense thing, don't you think? It's a bloody good thing they're not allowed to vote."

Capone nodded and repeated, "Bloody good thing."

Addey nodded before turning back. "I'm afraid I can't do that, dearest. I advised you to watch your words, but you wouldn't listen. Too bad this little brat has to suffer for it."

There was a moment of silence, and I pondered the possibility that perhaps this was a bluff. For a moment, I allowed myself to hope, but quickly extinguished it. I had to find some way out of this, and fast.

"What… what are you going to do with him?"

He looked at me, a little surprised. "What else can I do with him?" he asked, smiling. I knew what it meant.

"No!" I screamed. "Let him go, or I'll…"

"Or what? You'll tell Chiron on me? Not even he can do anything about me, girly. I run this camp, understand? Anyone who steps out of line…" he paused and held out his hand backwards, as if expecting Capone to slap it. Instead, the fat boy reached into his coat and pulled out something long and shiny black that gleamed in the light of the sinking sun, reflecting a look of almost red. Blood red.

It was a shotgun.

"Anyone who steps out of line will answer to me."

I opened my mouth, thinking that perhaps I'd toss another comeback Instead, I just screamed, panicked. I couldn't see Walt get shot; I couldn't let that happen. Without even thinking, I surged forward, grabbing hold of my sword and wielding it towards the buggard.

He was taken back, obviously having thought that I didn't have the nerve to strike him. Still, he was fast, and good at fighting with one hand. His dagger was a blur as it whipped round, blocking off each swing I took, but I didn't back down. I couldn't.

Capone, though, was stupid. Really stupid. So dull, in fact, that he was ignorant enough to step into the fight and get me off of the thug. I'll just spell it out right now. He grabbed me.

I felt an awful rage overtake my mind as my fist flew back in a desperate attempt to get him off of me, and, as my hand made contact with his shoulder, all of that anger shot down my arm and into my fingertips, a bolt of electricity sending the boy flying into a tree 20 yards back.

I'll admit, I probably should've taken a little more time to be surprised, but there were other things on my mind.

When I looked back, Walt wasn't where he'd been dropped. Of course, Ellie and Louie weren't useless. They'd taken the distraction of Capone trying to wrestle me down to take hold of the child and haul him out of the war zone. Great blokes, those two.

Unfortunately, that left me in the center of attention to Addey. The stunt I'd just pulled seemed like some kind of dishonor dash towards him that he couldn't handle. Faster than light, he flicked his wrist, and his dagger soared in the distance, allowing him a free hand, and he didn't waste a moment.

As he raised the shotgun and took aim at me, I turned and tried to flee into the safety of the bushes, screaming for help, but it was too late. There was an earth shattering boom, like a stick of dynamite being set off, and I sank to the ground with a pang in my back, my vision going red and fuzzy. The last thing I heard before passing clear out was a voice in the distance, but rushing closer each second.

"Amelia!"

It was Al.

**XXXXXXXX**

**Hallo everyone! Thanks for sticking around for the next chapter, I hoped you liked it. Yes, I do enjoy fight scenes, thank you. Wow, you all must be wondering why I'm so happy. I have no idea!**

**Anyways, sorry that I pretty much disappeared off the face of the planet. I've been grounded from the Internet, and, since my dad is all powerful, he has the ability to switch off my connection. I'm still grounded now, really; we can all thank Nikki for being a great sister and uploading this for me!**

**Okay, so, next chapter's been plotted out for a long time. It'll be fun: I get to put Amelia and Al in an awkward position. Yay! Anyways, too more famous in this chapter, probably easily spotted. I've only got to more famous people to bring on in mind, but if you have a suggestion of someone that was around this tuime, don't hesitate to tell me! The camp's kind of lacking in population. ^_^ Anyways, I hope to update soon. Reviews are greatly appreciated; they do motivate me to write. Thanks for being patient with this next chapter!**

**Ciao!**

**-Journalist793, Aka Amy.**

**PS: I don't know if it's easily spotted or not, but there is some inspiration in this from a book I just finished called 13 Reasons Why. Check it out, if you can. :-)**


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